: News and Blog

Human Rights Blogger and Fearless Champion for Men and Boys Karen Straughan at all 3 Toronto Universities February 28th to March 2nd, 2018! Hear about domestic violence, fatherlessnesss and masculinity in today’s culture.

THE BURDEN OF BEING MALE
Ryerson University Venue To Be Announced
Friday, March 2nd, 2018 at 7:30 PM

Biography
Karen Straughan is a renowned Canadian human rights activist, blogger and broadcaster focusing on gender and sexual politics. Her YouTube channel, girlwriteswhat, has over 180,000 subscribers, and more than 16 million video views, and her work has been presented in high school and university classrooms in the US, Canada and Ireland. A mother of three, Karen speaks out fearlessly on gender and equality with passion and clarity, refusing to back down when intimidated. As a female who has aligned herself with men’s issues awareness, Karen has been the target of hatred and campaigns of misinformation.

A version of this letter by Paul Nathanson appeared in the New York Times

Every article points out that Nikolas Cruz had a very “troubled” background. But most discussions focus on gun control as the ultimate solution. And that would indeed be a good thing. Would it solve the problem of boys who feel so troubled and so abandoned that they resort violence? I don’t think so. Public attention has focused again, with good reason, on public safety. But, as Trump points out–never mind his personal hypocrisy or political opportunism–mental health problems really are among the underlying reasons for boys buying and using guns in the first place. One mother in Florida said yesterday that Cruz (or at least his behavior) is “evil, pure evil.” But if a girl had done the same thing or something else that’s clearly unacceptable, the Times and other feminist publications would immediately call for drives to provide all girls with emotional support, psychological counseling and legal mechanisms that would make them immune to prosecution. The outcry would be against “patriarchal” conditions that “force” girls into antisocial behavior. When girls or women do antisocial things (and they do, albeit things that society seldom acknowledges), it’s because of culturally established misogyny; when boys or men do so, it’s simply because they’re boys or men. This double standard should be (but is not) clear to everyone:.

My main point here is that, gun control notwithstanding, Americans could begin immediately to consider what’s happening to its boys and young men–including the majority, those who do not end up resorting to violence. Time is up for those who believe that these boys feel “entitled to privilege” and therefore that they need to feel collective guilt instead, that they deserve collective denunciation, not concern for their own sake (let alone that of society). Apart from anything else, I suggest, society should acknowledge that there are very few sources (perhaps no source at all) of a healthy collective identity for boys or men and the rage that this inevitably causes.

Canadian Association for Equality Statement on Sexual Victimization and the #MeToo Campaign

January 24, 2018

The Canadian Association for Equality wishes to ensure that the conversation around sexual victimization, which has been sparked by claims from women (and some men), leads to justice for all.

We condemn sexual violence unequivocally and recognize that it needs to be discussed. At the same time, we are alarmed that accusing people without supporting evidence amounts to punishing them severely without due process, and undermines the legal system.

It is time to reconcile two fundamental goals: supporting alleged victims and ensuring due process for alleged victimizers (protections that our society has worked hard for centuries to develop and sustain). Here is what we recommend in order to ensure that the #MeToo campaign will lead to real and lasting justice.

We call for a dialogue that requires respect for all voices, rejects vigilante “justice,” and prevents emotional catharsis from overshadowing the measured assessment of fact and opinion.

We suggest that productive discussion crosses the line into unhelpful accusation, when any of the following faulty views are asserted:

3. That men or “privileged groups” have no right to speak about #MeToo.

4. That men as a class are uniquely responsible for creating and sustaining the gender system that produces sexual harassment.

5. That major life penalties (firing, resignation, destruction of reputation) are appropriate punishments for accused men, without due process or the presumption of innocence.

6. That the end (“justice” for women) justifies the means (harming or destroying the lives of innocent men).

7. That the #MeToo campaign belongs to female victims only; if the same experiences of sexual violence or misconduct occurred to men, those male victims would not deserve the same attention.

CAFE’s position is that productive dialogue must always recognize that claims of abuse cannot be equated with the fact of abuse. We unequivocally reject any suggestion that men are collectively guilty or should be collectively punished, which is not justice but revenge. We reject the idea that some or all men should be forced to accept or believe women’s characterization of female experience, without the opportunity to assert their own perceptions and experience. In short, we argue above all that productive dialogue must be founded on the premise of men’s and women’s moral equality.

The Canadian Association for Equality wishes to applaud Interval House of Ottawa and the other seven women’s shelters that have established the infrastructure necessary to accept endangered animals into their facilities. This is a very important step forward as it will guarantee more women are able to access the safety they need.

On December 31st, 2017, our organization completed a successful fundraising campaign to open Toronto’s first family shelter for male victims of domestic violence and their children. We believe all those who suffer or are at risk of suffering abuse and violence deserve support, whether they are women, men, children or animals.

We are proud to join with Interval house and other agencies in working together to close those gaps that currently exist and to identify any and all barriers that impede people from getting the support they need. Just as many women stay in abusive situations out of fear of leaving behind their pets, many men stay in abusive situations out of fear of leaving behind their children, because there are no family shelters for fathers with children who may be fleeing domestic violence.

We are working toward offering men and their families an alternative that approximates the long existing domestic violence shelters operated for women, children and their pets. CAFE has been receiving incredible support from women’s shelters and other victims support agencies as we embark on our unique initiative and we look forward to a day when no human or animal is at risk of abuse.

This June the federal government introduced Bill C-51 with the stated goal “to help make the criminal justice system more compassionate towards complainants in sexual assault matters.” The Bill would change the rules of evidence only in cases of sexual assault.

Proponents hail the effort as boosting to support for sex assault victims. Opponents fear the legislation will unbalance the power of the Crown and deny long-stating legal protections for those accused of this serious crime.

Join us for a robust dialogue and debate about how to convict sexual assault perpetrators while protecting the accused but innocent, featuring

* Andre Marin, Former Assistant Crown Prosecutor, Director of the police civilian oversight agency the Special Investigations Unit and Attorney General of Ontario 2015 – 2015,

* Joseph Neuberger, renowned criminal defence trial lawyer in sexual assault and domestic violence cases, lead counsel for the Ontario government in the Cornwall Public Inquiry into historical allegations of sexual assault